If you were to conduct a poll you would find that happiness is very important to people. They put a lot of effort into the pursuit of happiness. How many find it? Would you think that something so important would receive a great deal of emphasis in my word? Yet you find very little there about happiness. Have you discovered that happiness is better obtained indirectly than directly? Does it seem counterintuitive to you that if you seek to save your life you will lose it, but if you are willing to lose your life for my sake and the Kingdom of God you will find it? Look at this same lesson substituting happiness for life and you will understand. Haven’t you observed that the happiest people are those least absorbed with their own pursuit of happiness?

Not everyone can sing well enough to make living at it, but everyone can sing. The same goes for dancing and many other things. Your culture places a great emphasis on things that make money and being the best. This mindset does not serve you well and is the wrong perspective. Singing will enrich your life whether it enriches your financial standing or not. Do you intentionally avoid the things that bring you joy because others are better at them, or because they do not make money for you? I would release you from the burden of this wrong perspective. In how many areas of your life can you find more joy? Start by making a joyful noise.

Do you believe in destiny? When you were first saved the process may have involved someone saying that God has a wonderful plan for your life. Did their apparent interest in this concept end when you were saved? This is a true principle, and your salvation is central to my plan for you, but it doesn’t end there. Do you know anyone who has an intentional and deliberate way to assist you in finding out what my specific plan is for you? Then you will have to find it yourself. Don’t be discouraged and don’t give up. Be wary of those who are too eager to tell you what my plan is for you. Why would I tell them instead of you? Keep seeking and be confident that I will show you your destiny in time for you to walk in it and fulfill it.

What does an abundant life mean for you? Being busy? But you can be busy and still lead a life that is too small for you. Martha was careful and troubled about many things, but Mary was finding a more abundant life. Abundance is more than stuff and filling up the hours of the day. It is more about your openness, the way you see yourself and the world around you, and how you connect and relate. In this way abundance is as available to the poor as it is to the wealthy. It is always possible to be more accepting and inclusive, and less narrow and judgmental. Ask of me for this type of abundance.